Victoria council has decided not to ask the province to delay the implementation of new short-term rental rules, set to come into effect in May.
Though council was split on the question Thursday, it ultimately decided not to push the province to postpone new rules that will sharply reduce the number of short-term rentals that can operate in the province.
The vote was 5-3 — Coun. Chris Coleman was absent — in favour of killing a motion that would have seen Mayor Marianne Alto write to the province asking it to hold off implementation until November.
Alto had said the goal was to give short-term-rental owners more time to deal with the new provincial rules, while providing the city more room capacity for what is expected to be a busy spring and summer tourist season.
Coun. Dave Thompson said he voted against the motion because council has to consider the best interests of the city.
“We have a very severe housing shortage, thousands of units. It’s less clear to me that we have a severe tourism-accommodation shortage,” he said, adding there’s been no indication the province would be interested in a delay.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said it’s incumbent upon the city to do everything it can to ensure short-term rental units return to the longer-term rental market amid a housing crisis. Caradonna said he does not buy the argument that the tourism industry needs the short-term-rental units. “I’m frankly sick and tired of getting emails from investors who hide behind tourism as though we have some kind of tourism crisis and they're throwing tourism under the bus,” he said.
“This is not about tourism. This is about investors who are upset about potentially losing money.”
Set to come into force May 1, Bill 35 limits short-term rentals to a host’s principal residence or a basement suite or laneway home on their property, in an effort to bring short-term rental units into the long-term rental housing pool.
Fines for hosts who break local bylaw rules will increase, to up to $3,000 for each infraction per day and short-term rental platforms will be required to share data with municipalities. Some short-term rental owners say they were blindsided by the legislation, and will be forced to sell their units, since long-term rental rates won’t cover their costs.
This week, provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon indicated he had little interest in delaying the bill’s implementation.
